GlaxoSmithKline P.L.C. today named Andrew Witty new CEO to succeed outgoing chief executive J.P. Garnier at the end of May 2008.
J.P. Garnier famously told the British press, when questioned about his lavish pay package and lack of performance, "I'm not Mother Theresa."
Witty has been the head of Glaxo's European pharmaceuticals business and competed for the job against David Stout, president of all pharmaceuticals operations, and Chris Viehbacher, who heads GlaxoSmithKline's U.S. pharmaceuticals operations.
Witty, at the age of 43, was the youngest of the three.
The competition for the top job started in September 2005 when the company told the Times of London that Glaxo was considering internal candidates as potential successors to Dr. Garnier. The following spring, when Messrs. Stout, Witty and Viehbacher delivered speeches about their businesses at Glaxo's biennial executive retreat in Florida, Glaxo executives nicknamed the event "the beauty contest." Several Glaxo officials who attended said Mr. Witty was particularly notable because he spoke passionately for nearly 30 minutes without notes, slides or a teleprompter.
So there you have it. Presentations can make or break your career. But you already knew that . . .
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